Vacuum gold-separator.



W. SHORE. VACUUM sow SEPARATOR. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 21, \916. 1 21 1 495 Patented Jan. 9,1917. a 2 SHEETS-*SHEET I.

Af/orney [Ml mwms PEYENs (:0 Punmummmwmcmm n c WILLIAM SHORE, OF MON TESANO, WASHINGTON.

VACUUM GOLD-SEPARATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 9, 1917.

Application filed January 21, 1916. Serial No. 73,396.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM SHORE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Montesano, in the county of Grays Harbor and State of Washington, have invented a new and useful Vacuum Gold-Separator, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an improvement in vacuum gold separators, and has for an object to provide a device which may be made in such size as to be portable, upon trucks, a motor vehicle, and the like; which may be employed in other uses than in separating gold, whereby the separation of materials may be effected owing to substantial differences in the weights of the granules of the materials to be separated; which separates sand and other base material from the gold and carries the sand off to a suitable point of discharge; which is provided with a table associated with a suction head or nozzle, and adjusting means for the table to vary the lifting power of the suction head, and thus accommodate the ma chine to material varying in size and weight; and to provide a machine which has an improved regulating means for controlling the flow, or stream, of the admixed materials to be separated by the suction head.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be fully brought out in the following specific description of the present preferred embodiment of this invention, the same being disclosed in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved separator. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view, taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1, and looking forwardly into the apparatus, in the direction of the indicating arrow. Fig. 1 is a detail longitudinal sectional view of the adjustable table or board, over which the material passes for separation, the view showing the table adjusting means and the adjustable gate for regulating the stream of material passing over the board. Fig. 5 is a detail enlarged sectional view of one end of the regulating gate. Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view, showing in detail said end of the gate.

Referring to these drawings, wherein like parts are designated by similar numerals of reference throughout the several views, 1

10 designates the base of a frame, which in the present instance is disclosed in the form of longitudinal and end beams secured totudinal side beams 13 and end cross bars 14 and 15 arranged at the outer and intermediate portions of the frame respectively. The cross bars 14 and 15 support the opposite ends of spaced apart beams 16 and 17 located preferably centrally and longitudinally of the frame, as shown to advantage in Fig. 2. The uprights 12 are provided across their inner sides with a lower cross bar 18 supporting forwardly inclined strips 19, which are secured at their rear ends upon the upper extremities of relatively short uprights 20 rising from the rear end of the base 10. The uprights 20 are preferably of little more than half the height of the uprights 11 and 12, and the strips 19 extend forwardly and downwardly from the upper ends of the uprights to provide an inclined support in the frame. The strips 19 are reinforced by a transverse strip 21 secured across the rear edges of the inclined strips 19 and across the rear ends of the uprights 20.

The inclined support of the frame 10 is provided with one or more forwardly inclined tables 22, the same each comprising a bottom board secured by means of a hinge 23 at its rear edge to the transverse strip 21, and being free to rise and fall at its forward end toward and from the inclined support of the frame. Each bottom board 21 is provided along its lateral edges with upstanding sides or flanges 2 1. These flanges 24: extend throughout the entire length of the table or board 22 and at their rear ends are partially countersunk in the opposite outer sides of the hoppers 25, as shown at 26 in Fig. 3. Each hopper 25 is flared upwardly in the usual manner, and is provided with a front wall 27 terminating short of the upper face of the board or table 22, so as to provide, beneath the front wall 27 an outlet passage 28 through which material in the hopper may flow in its passage downwardly over the board 22.

The table 22 is provided with means for adjusting the angle of inclination thereof on the support of the frame, and this means comprises one or more cams 29 for each table 22, the cams being mounted on transverse shafts 3O journaled at their opposite ends in the inclined strips 19. As shown in Fig. 3, two of these separating devices are employed, and each one is provided with a shaft 30. The shafts 30 at their opposite outer ends extend entirely through the outer strips 19, while the inner ends of the. shafts 30 are journaled in the opposite sides of the intermediate strip 19, which latter may be made of substantial thickness, as shown, for this purpose. The cams 29 are preferably disposed adjacent each end of the shaft 30, and are thus located against the opposite sides of the tables 22 and in transverse alinement therebeneath. Each shaft 30 has upon its outer end a crank handle 31, by means of which the shaft may be turned to rotate the cams and thus raise and lower the free end of'the table. Each shaft 30 is also provided with a toothed wheel 32 secured to the shaft for rotation therewith, and adapted to be engaged by a locking dog 33 to secure the wheel and shaft from turning when adjusted. The dogs 33 are suitably pivoted upon the end strips 19 above the wheels 32, so as to drop into engagement therewith and hold the same from turning.

The table 22 is provided with a gate 34 comprising a strip extending across the entire surface of the board and terminating in straight ends slidably engaging against the inner opposite faces of the sides 24 of-the table, as may be seen from Fig. 2. As shown to advantage in Figs. 5 and 6, each end of the gate 34 is slidably held, for vertical movement only, between a pair of cleats 35 secured against the inner face of the adjacent flange 24 and providing a vertical guide-way for the ends of the gate. Each end of the gate is also provided with a transversely extending eye-bolt 36, the eye of which is preferably arranged against the forward side of the gate 34, and the opposite end of the eye-bolt is secured by a nut 37 binding against the rear side of the gate 34. The eye-bolt 36 is provided preferably with an angularly shaped head presenting shoulders 38 adapted to bear flat against the outer face of the gate 34, and has a vertical threaded opening therethrough for the reception of an adjusting bolt 39. This adjusting bolt 39 is mounted upon a lug 40 extending inwardly from the upper edge of the adjacent side 24 and which overhangs the head of the eye-bolt 36. Thus, the adjusting bolt 39 is held in vertical alinement with the eye-bolt, so as to directly move the same upor down and hold it in adjusted position. Retaining nuts 41 are threaded upon the bolt 39 to hold the same in the desired elevated position in the lug 40, asis clearly shown in Fig. 5. The upper end of the adjusting bolt 39 is pro vided with a thumb piece 42, adapted to be engaged by the fingers in turning thebolt, so that the gate 34 may be quickly and easily adjusted to raise and lower the same from the upper face of the board 22 and thus vary the size of the passage 43 beneath Z the gate. By the provision of this gate, the flow or stream of the material to be sepa rated may be controlled, so as to prevent the flooding of the table.

Overhanging the free end of the table 22 is a suction head or nozzle44. This nozzle 44, as may be seen from Figs. 2 and 3, is relatively broad and extends substantially entirely across the width of the table and lies between the flanges or sides 24.

The suction head 44 is located but a short distance below the gate 34. The gate not only spreads out the materials before they pass beneath the suction head, but the gate,

owing to its proximity to the suction head,

also retards or checks the speed of the matcrials in their passage downwardly over the table or chute 22.. This retarding of the materials immediately before they pass beneath the suction head insures a moderate and even flow of the materials, and insures a more thorough separation of the same.

The table or chute is preferably imperforate, particularly 'at that point immediately beneath the suction head 44, so that granules of sand, gold, and the like, will not fall through the chute, and the proper suction may be obtained to separate materials of this nature. In all of its adjusted positions, the table or chute 22 is disposedat such an inclination as to feed the materials to be separated by gravity down the chute and beneath the suction head 44. r

The adjustment of the cams 29 raises and lowers the free end of the table toward and from the mouth of the suction head 44, so as to vary the lifting or separating power of the induced air current entering the suction head. The suction head 44 is carried upon the end of a neck 45, which emerges from a suction fan 46 mounted upon the top of the frame 10 at the intermediate portion thereof, as clearly shown in the drawings. As before stated, two of these devices are mounted on the frame 10. A single shaft 47 operates both suction fans 46, and is turned by means of a pulley 48 and belt 49, by a suitable motor 50 secured to one of the-longitudinal beams, as at 16, and provided with a pulley 51 adapted to receive the belt 49 thereover. The belt 49 is thus located at the central portion of the frame and is driven to operate the single shaft 47 which drives both of the fans 46 for creating a suction in both'heads 44. The neeks'45 extend rearwardly over the top of the rear cross bar 15, and are turned downwardly to suspend the suction heads 44 in spaced relation over the free ends of the tables 22. As the shafts of the two devices are independent, they may be independently adjusted, so that two different grades or kinds of material may be passed through the two different machines at the same time.

In operation, the sand and gold granules, after first being screened, are dumped into the hopper 25, and fall through the hopper onto the table 22. The material flows out of the bottom of the hopper beneath the front wall 27 thereof, and through the passage 28. The material strikes the gate 34, and the latter is adjusted vertically in its guides by means of the adjusting screws 39, to admit the flow of a desired quantity of the material through the passage 43 beneath the gate, so as to spread the material out in a relatively thin sheet, as it passes downwardly over the board or table 22. At this time the motor is operated to rotate the exhaust fan 46 and thus induce a current upwardly through the suction head 44. As the sheet of material passes downwardly beneath the head 44, the induced draft lifts the lighter particles, such as sand, and allows the particles or granules of gold to remain on the table and move downwardly thereon and drop into the transverse trough 52, which is inclined transversely across the free end of the table 22. The sand is thus lifted from the gold and is carried upwardly through the head and the neck 45 into the casing of the fan 46, from which latter it is ejected through the outlet 53 into a suitable receptacle or point of discharge. A suitable receptacle may be placed beneath the outer lower end of the trough 52 to collect the separated gold granules, which are left on the table.

Should the suction of the fan 46 be too great and tend to lift all of the material from the table, the shaft 30 may be turned to actuate the cams 29 and lower the free end of the table until the desired adjustment is had, and to vary the lifting power of the induced current with respect to the material. It is thus seen that a fine adjustment may be had whereby the constantly induced current will have the desired lifting power to raise granules of a certain weight and allow the heavier particles or granules to remain upon the table. It will also be noted that the gate 34 may be adjusted vertically to admit a stream of more or less thickness to pass down over the table or board 22, and thus prevent too large an amount of the material crowding beneath the suction head.

It is, of course, understood that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of the invention, so as to adapt the device to the various usages to which it may be put.

What is claimed is 1. In a vacuum separator, and in combination, a stationary inclined chute, the inclination being such as to feed by gravity, a suction head extending across the chute near its lower end, means for adjusting the distance between the head and the chute surface, and a distributing and retarding means on the chute in proximity to the suction head.

2. In a vacuum separator, and in combination, an imperforate inclined chute being vertically adjustable, the inclination being such as to feed by gravity, a suction head extending across the chute near its lower end, means for adjusting the distance between the head and the chute surface, feed means at the upper end of the chute, and a distributing and retarding means on the chute in proximity to the suction head.

3. In a vacuum separator, and in combination, a rigid frame, a normally stationary inclined chute, means for pivotally connecting the chute to the frame at one end, a hopper mounted upon and delivering to the chute at the pivotal end thereof, a trough at the lower end of the chute, a suction head extending across the chute near its lower end, means mounted on the frame for raising and lowering the chute to adjust the distance be tween the head and the chute surface, the inclination of the chute being such as to feed by gravity, and a distributing and retarding means on the chute between the hopper and the head and nearer to the head than the hopper.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signa ture in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM SHORE.

Witnesses:

B. G. CHE EY, F. S. CHENEY.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

